A big day!

We had a free morning, so we just chilled around the hotel this morning. We once again attempted to feed Emma with no success. We brought some packets of American formula, and that is going to be what we try next. So we headed to the breakfast bar for mom and dad. While we were eating, we decided to walk around the island and do some shopping (finally), so Rodney headed to our room to grab the diaper bag and camera while Emma and I visited with some of our travel mates. He decided to make a 4 ounce bottle with the American formula and bring down. Well, she sucked that bottle right down in nothing flat, so Rodney went back upstairs to try round 2! She drank that down also, so she had a great morning.

We did some shopping at Jordan's. One thing he does for all the babies is write thier name in Chinese for us to take home and frame. And it's FREE! He told us that most American names don't translate into Chinese, but Emma does. The first syllable means 'freedom' and the second means 'unique.'

We bought several things, including some Olympic stuff and Emma's first pair of squeaky shoes. With most of the places on the island, you can bargain with them for a better price. The bill came to 215 RMB, so I asked what he would take and Rodney pipes up 200 RMB. Jordan was all for that. Just to let you know, that's about $2 he saved! Go Rodney!!

When we were finished melting (the heat and humidity are ferocious, and most of these stores are not air conditioned, we headed back to the hotel and Emma took a nice, long nap. So Cute!

When she woke up she ate another 4 oz. of American formula. Rodney finally got a chance to feed her.

We had to meet our group to go the the police station to apply for Emma's passport. That was pretty uneventful, but while we were there we got her official adoption certificate - the most important piece of paperwork we will get in China!

On the way there, she was all smiles!

On the bus on the way back to the hotel, we saw a whole new side of Emma. Up until that point, she had barely cried all day. It was like a different child. Well, that allllllllll changed. She started fussing and crying on the bus, and it turned into a full-blown temper tantrum. There was not one tear shed the entire time! This was definately the Ludwig temper showing! I was never so glad to get off of a bus in my life! Oh, by the way, all this crying is Rodney's fault. For three years, every time we went anywhere and saw a crying baby, he would say, "My baby isn't going to cry like that!" I always answered, "Yeah, right. You wait and see." Well, now I am putting up with his payback!

Once off the bus, we put her in the stroller (borrowed from our hotel) and she quieted right down! We have been trying to hook up with another couple who have just adopted a baby from Emma's orphanage all week, so I called to see if they were around, and we met in the lobby for a few minutes. Thier little one and Emma have some of the same facial features. We may try to visit thier orphanage together one day next week. It was nice to finally meet. She also told me where to find the nipple that the orphange uses nearby, so we stopped and found it, and did a little more shopping. We got a beautiful purple outfit for the famous 'red couch' photo.

For those of you who don't know, the White Swan is a very popular hotel for adoptive parents. Over the years, it has become custom to put all of the babies together on a couch totake their pictures, and you can probably guess - the couch is red! We purchased a silk outfit when we were in Beijing, but it was too big for her since she is such a little thing.

We headed off to Lucy's again and split a chicken quesadilla and a basket of french fries. The Cantonese food we had yesterday was a little too adventuresome for us, so we hadn't had much to eat except breakfast the past couple of days. I have to say, I liked the food we had in Beijing better that what we have had here. Emma sat quietly throught the meal, and I got a few cute shots of her having her first Coca-Cola, and she said, "Boy is this stuff good!"

OK - she didn't REALLY have a Coke. I do know a little something about kids and caffeine, but I thought it was a cute shot. The cans here have the old-style pull tabs!

As we were leaving Lucy's, we got a whiff of something not so pleasant. So when we got back to the hotel, Rodney got to change his first dirty diaper! He did a good job. No messes. Emma was fussy, so I told Rodney to put her in the stroller and push her around our suite. She promptly fell asleep and cat-napped for about 45 minutes. When she got up, we tried out the new bottle, but it didn't seem to make a difference, since she only had about 2 ounces.

Emma had her second bath - this time in the tub. She is still not impressed with this ritual! She better start liking the water - we will definately be swimming this summer!

We put her in a cute pair of PJ's with rabbit ears on the feet.

This sleeper is a 6 month and it fits her almost perfectly. She will only wear it a few times because she is so long. It is getting ready to storm here - lots of lightning and thunder. It is supposed to cool down a little over the next couple of days. We shall see.....